Electronic Resume - Which is Better?

Electronic Resume - Which is Better?An electronic resume is exactly what it sounds like. Instead of paper resumes that list your name, address, contact information, previous positions and educational background, an electronic version is a one-page format that lists what you have done and how your past accomplishments are related to the job of your choice.Nowadays, a resume is viewed as one of the first steps in an interview and sometimes the only thing a potential employer sees before making a hiring decision. One of the first questions a recruiter will ask when interviewing for a position is how long you have been employed and if you have any formal educational background. You can't give an employer two sentences of your personal history and hope to land a great job, so a resume must look professional.The reason why employers are looking at your resume is because you have a computer's worth of information on you. You already have a resume, just without the paper, but you can see the benefits of having an electronic one. Instead of taking the time to print out an entire page of information, you can simply attach it to your electronic resume and you're done.Another benefit of having a resume that can be downloaded is that your previous work experience, which may be listed as either online or on a company's website, is available as well. If you were hired by a customer service representative working out of their New York office, and they required a copy of your most recent resume, it would be much easier for them to find it online than it would be to comb through their actual phone book. Even if they don't use an online option, your past positions on a company's website can show up on your resume. Even if your past position didn't show up on their website, most companies will require that you list your work history on your resume.Because the formatting is changed, your paper resume will look outdated, unless you make it look as though it was designed when you wer e a teenager. The design and format of an electronic resume is different from the paper one because of the way all the information is arranged. The paper resume is no longer a one-page document, instead it is a two or three page document that has plenty of space between each section.For the employer, it is easier to compare a computer formatted resume and a paper resume, simply because both have the same information. Since the electronic version can be quickly printed out, there is no room for human error and not every employer will be concerned with the fact that the information was formatted differently.There is also the convenience of being able to download the information that is already on your resume into your computer. That means you can easily transfer your information from your paper resume to your electronic one. Once you have done that, you can just use the same information on your electronic version.There are advantages to both versions, and you can use whichever you pre fer. If you are confused as to which is better, stick with what you know, and decide which kind you prefer when you print your resume.